San Francisco International Film Festival 2001

The 44th San Francisco International Film Festival took place from April 19 to May 3, 2001. Of the 100+ films overall, 10 played in Menlo Park at the Park Theater, and of these I managed to see 8.

-- Mike, 5/5/2001

Here are the films I saw in approximate descending order of preference:

Wo de fu qin mu qin (1999, SFFS link, English title: The Road Home):
This is an enchanting story of love and devotion brought out by wonderful images (most in actual Technicolor, which is only currently being used in China) and acting (especially Yuelin Zhao, although Ziyi Zhang from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was also good); in Mandarin with subtitles
Sous le sable (2000, SFFS link, English title: Under the Sand):
This film about the process of letting go of a lost loved one is well worth seeing for the performance of Charlotte Rampling, who appeared briefly before the film to introduce it; in French with subtitles
Princes et princesses (1999, SFFS link, English title: Princes and Princesses):
6 very imaginative short stories for children of all ages, linked by a common framework; 1 minute pause in the middle with an explicit suggestion for the audience to discuss the film so far; created with paper and a 16mm camera; in French with subtitles
Code inconnu: Récit incomplet de divers voyages (2000, SFFS link, Engish title: Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys):
This is a hard film to pin down, with a very innovative structure of various intercut stories, often with abrupt transitions; a film within the film makes it hard to determine what is real and what is not; in French with subtitles
Que no quede huell (2000, SFFS link, English title: Without a Trace):
This is a good female buddy picture, but with relationships that are less well-defined and change more than would ever occur in a standard Hollywood film; the cinematography was wonderful at times, and the use of song lyrics to advance the plot was innovative for a non-musical; in Spanish with subtitles
Duze zwierze (2000, SFFS link, English title: The Big Animal):
This is a lightweight concept comedy; fun but nothing special; in Polish with subtitles
Tangsir (1974, SFFS link):
I suspect that this is a fine film that I would appreciate better if I knew more about the circumstances of its creation, but at the time it simply felt like an overacted melodrama about a man fighting back against a corrupt system; the film also needs significant restoration as its color has faded substantially; in Persian with subtitles
Korotkiye vstrechi (1967, SFFS link, English title: Brief Encounters):
Somehow I just couldn't manage to stay awake during this film, even though it got the highest rating on IMDb of all of these 8 films; in Russian with subtitles

Filmography links courtesy of IMDb and San Francisco Film Society.

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